The Wisdom Teachings of Nisargadatta Maharaj-A Visual Journey

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Don't pretend to be what you are not, don't refuse to be what you are. -N

ISARGADATTA MAHARAJ

All actions happen through concepts and are managed by them. You take for granted that you are created. This is based upon someone else's concept, which determines your happiness or unhappiness, and your ideas about birth and death.

All this is the sport of concepts in action, while you believe yourself to be the doer.

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Recognize the Truth and leave aside all concepts.

One who does so goes beyond birth and death. -<-:

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Know what you are before knowing anything else.

Have the firm conviction that you are pure Consciousness. This should be done spontaneously; it is the only way. 21

The mind is simply the collection of impressions that have been recorded since birth. It is occupied by thoughts, which are based upon its predominant concept.

Catch hold of the knower of the mind. If you believe your thoughts, you will be disappointed.

Be the witness of thoughts.

Remain as the seer. l

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The world is

You have put the noose of the mind around your neck. Do not become entangled in the

vacillations of your mind.

When you become stabilized in your Self, the continuous commentary of the mind will stop.

Your true state is ever-existent. ;·:·,

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You worry whether you can function without the mind.

Before you were three years old, did the mind give you the sense of having a fonn?

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The mind has great importance only because you have not gone beyond it.

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When, through discrimination, you become the knower of the mind, you will understand this.

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The. experience of time disappears along with the world, justlike the ending of a ·,. dream ...

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the dissoltiti'Sit}iJf the universe is. .

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···dissolves into you and not you into time.

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True religion is the religion of the Self. It lies in searching for one's true nature and stabilizing oneself there.

Religious traditions are based on concepts.

There is silence when these concepts are given up.

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People wear robes to take advantage of a tradition. Others f o"ld their hands and salute them.

Catch hold of the Consciousness in your body so that • • renunciation has a true • meaning.

This world's existence is like the dream world of a dreamer. We sense the world to be real, because we feel our body to be real, and vice-versa-

Why do we ask about that which has no real existence?

From the point of view of the sage,

nothing has ever happened. !

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This is the primordial illusion: People think that the world is ancient. Actually, it rises with your consciousness.

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The concept

"I am" arose unexpectedly, and with it came the world.

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Just as the dream state is untrue, the waking state is also an appearance. Both happen spontaneously.

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Our talk is also taking place in a dream. 42

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The dealings of an entire lifetime are based upon the concept "I am." When you try to be one with Consciousness, the mind stands in the way. Keep trying. Pay attention to the source from which the "I amness" has appeared.

Only after the concept "I am" occurs does the idea "I am this" or "I am that" arise. Before this happened, "who" was I?

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The concept "I am" veils the Absoluteit is the source of misery and is itself untrue.

This is the essence of spirituality.

The nature of this memory is forgetfulness of who you are.

N ondual devotion is the devotion to our own Self. Pay attention to "That," which is always with you. You must feel its necessity.

Leave greatness to others. Become so small that no one can see you. This conviction results from growing devotion to the supreme reality.

You do not exist without God, and God does not exist without you.

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To remain without thought in the f

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waking state is the greatest «(Orship.

My guru used to say: "No matter how old you are, you are only a child."

To hold on to the word of the guru is the greatest service. For this purpose, you have to give full attention to your true nature all the time.

The guru is your own Self.

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-. . Realize "That," which is the root of · allthat . is true and everlasting. · · Otherwise, it is only. ::; .· .

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Those who teach and those who learn all p~~']f1~~~;\ .: , . .

Whatever you take yourself to be will come to an end.

The essence of spirituality is to understand life properly, to find the truth and the untruth about who we are.

All that can be found is the untruth.

True spirituality is possible only when you let go of everything.

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The state prior to words is nameless. Because you take words to be true, body-consciousness has trapped you. When you become unattached, compassion will flow through you, and all undesirable qualities will vanish.

Be convinced that you are separate from the senses and that their experience is not your experience.

Pure Consciousness has never had an experience. -~

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It is irenic that the ego takes the body to be itself, while trying to know its source.

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You will be free when you realize that the 'pure Consciousness that is listening now is your true nature.

Remain as you are in the natural state of being.

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The sense of "me" and "mine" is the natural characteristic of consciousness.

Catch hold of this quality of knowingness.

If you live life without expectations, the feeling of "mineness" will automatically fall off.

The illusion of having a shape and a form has come over you because you have forgotten your true nature.

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Think of how and when this concept of beingness came about.

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Your nature is already perfect.

Realize now that duality never existed; it is illusory. All this was never really created, yet it is moving about. To the awakened sage, no one lives or dies. ~-·

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One without the sense of duality has no occupation, no intention or desire , and no sense of doership.

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Is there really any duality? Because you believe it, there is. Are the sun's rays separate from itself?

There is no creator of the world, no sustainer, and no destroyer.

Everything happens spontaneously. The manifestation of consciousness is itself duality.

The root cause of duality is that you sensed your own beingness. The very experience of your beingness is untrue.

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The world is the creation of your own consciousness. It is seen only due to duality. If there is no duality, there is no world.

The greatest miracle is your own beingness, because of which this immense world is created in an instant.

Go to the source from where it has arisen.

The world will never provide an answer to your questions. Find out for yourself what it is that is changeless.

The world exists within oneself.

"I am prior to everything and the knower of it."

This is the path of wisdom.

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Who is prior: the workl or the one who sees the workl? Your waking state and the world are not different.

When "I amness'' disappears, so does the world. This must be seen with a very subtle inner discrimination.

Just as what you dream is your own and no one else can observe it, so the world you see ts your own.

The world is a fun. . game created out of one's own existence.

No one can stop the process of creation, sustenance, and dissolution of the world because there is no creator.

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There is nothing real here, yet it creates so much havoc! .

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You have to become .your o proof of the nondual Ahtolute. There, you will meet no other. v;~ . .

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Do not become stuck in what you were taught or what you have learned.

Eventually, you will have to throw it allaway ~

Take the opportunity to know what you truly are.

One who is devoted to his own Self becomes the soul of all. Who, then, will have ill will and for whom? One becomes helpful to others naturally, knowing that one is not different from them.

Attention should be on oneself rather than on the affairs of others.

Do not be enamored with wealth, fame, loved ones, etc. Hold on to your own Self. C============-=-~-=-=·=====================~

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What is known without knowing never changes.

The greatness of the whole world lies in the heart of the human being. This is so simple, yet people do incredible austerities for its sake.

In this vast Consciousness there is no religion, no karma, and no time. It exists prior to the sense "I am." Do not try to know it, but hold on to this understanding.

People keep busy because they find it difficult to bear their • own consciousness. They look for various forms of entertainment to escape from themselves.

The greatest challenge lies in looking at oneself-by being "alone" with oneself.

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Everythingmoves through beingness, yet its hunger is never satisfied. I

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Surrender without duality to Consciousness, then it will also surrender to you. I

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You will be like the river that becomes the sea when they merge.

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This gurgling stream of the world is flowing out of the love "I am."

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I.. Anger, greed, and attachment exist but they are just appearances.

They are true only for that moment, like thoughts hanging in the sky. I :

Charity and love are naturally present. They are the nature of Consciousness. It is not you who impart them.

Do not take the trouble to acquire or renounce anything.

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Desires can only be pacified through knowledge of the Self. If you leave all desires, passions, and fears, you will clearly see yourself.

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Hope and desire are the . oils that keep the flame of life going. One whose hopes and .clesives are finished has died, but is notdead. :.--:.-- :.f_·--.

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Do not become confused 15)r attachments. Never deviate from your own nature..

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I Do not become a slave of your own thoughts. One who reaches the thought-free stage will not have to do anything for food or shelter. Everything will happen spontaneously without a sense of doership.

Thinking creates destiny. Concepts of yourself create your circumstances accordingly.

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Consciousness witnesses everything, but "who" witnesses consciousness?

The feeling "I am" is called consciousness. Hold on to that. There is no basis for consciousness; it has come uninvited. It rises and then passes away.

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This vast . panoramic world is the reflection of . your consciousness.

Birth means knowing the "I amness." !i·Ii ,•;'

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With the birth of this consciousness, the world comes into view, along with individual bodies, and their joys and sorrows.

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Consciousness can only observe what undergoes change.

"That," which is eternal, cannot be observed by consciousness or known by it.

Unless you meditate on this point, the puzzle will not be solved.

Consciousness is hard to bear, which is why people become involved in worldly activities.

You know that no states of

being are permanent. Yet due to. delusion you take them to be true.

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Spiritual seekers wander the world with intellectual understanding, not recognizing that the waking state itself is false.

This should be your conviction. To give something up is not true detachment. To know and understand that the world is untrue is genuine detachment. As long as you are entangled in memory, you cannot develop further. Continuously hold on to what you are and not to what you know.

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God exists wherever you are. Remain in your own Self and do not become involved with others.

God is only experiencing itself.

Consciousness is the· thief as well as the sage, the philanthropist as well as the beggar.

Everything just happens spontaneously.

One who has realized the Truth is not requiredto do anything special for the benefit of the world.

Greater than the greatest good in life is to know who we are.

It is impossible to establish order in the world.

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Meditation should be on one's own nature. Slowly the mind will become pure, and the formless Consciousness will be uncovered. In this way, your true nature will be understood.

Consciousness is the hum of beingness.

To catch hold of it is meditation.

Do not just meditate; live in meditation. Realize you are pure Brahman, the Absolute. Be confident and persevere in this conviction.

The purpose of spiritual activity is to know who you are.

Wake up and be aware this very moment.

Spiritual effort is as easy as it is difficult.

One who holds on to the Master's words, "I am the self-luminous reality," will find it easy.

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To reach the supreme state, methods are of no use.

Such means are nothing but a multiplication of concepts. However, you will continue to revel in concepts until you understand yourself.

The sense of doership is false. You are a witness, so remain like that. This is the only practice you should perform. 104

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There is no greater fortune than Self-knowledge.

If it is not realized, there is no greater misfortune.

Compared to Self.. realization, all else is meaningless. Without faith in this truth, you will wander about, going to various teachers and holy places.

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When Consciousness recognizes itself, it is called Self-realization.

All needs come to an end with Self-realization. Otherwise, they will be unsatisfied even if you are the emperor of the whole universe. I!

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Self . . realization cannot be foretold. Some get it spontaneously; others do not get it even with much effort. When a particular stage is reached, there comes about an appropriate change, and the ground is suitably prepared.

Then the mind, which wants to either acquire or get rid of something, will disappear.

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This knowledge is actually easy and open; the refore, there are not many takers for it. People are attracted to what is difficult and complicated.

When Truth is realized, the false drops off. No special effort is ! ·.required ,; to let ··': it go.

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The person of detachment sees that all this is an appearance.

With realization of the Self, it is not necessary to act in a particular manner; that would be an indication of ignorance.

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To try and look impressive is a fantasy related to the body, not a characteristic of the Self.

The Self ~realized person is unconcerned with how the body behaves; his conduct is not governed by any rule of law.

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Though the experience of realization can be described in many ways, the experiencer cannot be described.

What you have heard from other people becomes the source of fear, bondage, and liberation.

Pure Knowledge is not imparted by another; it comes unasked.

It is the one that is listening; it is your own true nature.

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Love of the Self eliminates concern with anything else; it is without attachment. You are that love that is formless, nameless, and indestructible.

The source of all love is the Self. Your relations and possessions will ultimately disperse. Awaken to the Self before this happens.

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If you try to reach the Self, you remain separate from it. You are the Self; there is no question of • • • attaining it,

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Neither mind, intellect, nor consciousness can comprehend the Absolute.

The Self is always the silent nondoer.

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When enlightenment dawns, you will realize that you were never born, nor have you carried out any worldly actions.

Neither remembrance nor forgetfulness actually exists.

There is no awakened one; there is only Self ..-realization.· L_

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The sage represents our own spotless, ever-present, true nature.

It is rare to find one who really knows, yet does not claim ownership of this knowledge. "Who" is the knower? The realized one knows that all this is the play of ignorance .

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The following are the last words of Maharaj before he lost his voice:

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Ifeel the pain in the body but have no pain of dying. I am "That" which always exists and

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w~_i_c~ is prior to manifestation_.

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I am not talking to a person as a "person," but to pure Consciousness. I speak to you in the language that was yours before words were first introduced to you.

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However, you have to understand the meaning in the language that you have learned.

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Since space and I are not different, wherever I go, that will be the place where I am already present.

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